Top 10 Champions League matches involving English teams

15 Apr 2009 12:50:24

10. Leeds United 1 AC Milan 0, group game, 2000
Short on quality but on a filthy Yorkshire night Leeds United announced themselves in the competition with a gutsy display unthinkable after a 4-0 humbling in their opening game against Barcelona. Dida gifted Lee Bowyer a goal but a makeshift defence with Danny Mills at centre-back shackled Andrei Shevchenko and Oliver Bierhoff in some style.
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9. AC Milan 0 Arsenal 2 (Agg 0-2), first knockout round, 2008
Arsenal became the first English side to beat Milan in the San Siro as Arsenal's young guns came of age. Constant Arsenal pressure was finally rewarded when Cesc Fabregas drilled the first from 30-yards with five minutes left to play before Theo Walcott fed Emmanuel Adebayor to apply the coup de grace.
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8. Barcelona 5 Chelsea 1 (Agg 6-4), quarter-final, 2000
A 3-1 lead from the first leg courtesy of a Gianfranco Zola special and two from Tore Andre Flo saw Chelsea arrive at the Nou Camp full of optimism, but a stellar performance from the Catalans – with Rivaldo and Luis Figo to the fore – pegged them back. Entering the final 10 minutes of the ninety Chelsea were still going through but a Dani header squared the tie before Barcelona missed a penalty to win it. Extra-time was all Barcelona. A breathless 120 minutes of football.
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7. Inter Milan 1 Arsenal 5, group game, 2003
Arsenal's 'invincibles' took their exhilarating brand of football for a showcase overseas with Thierry Henry, Freddy Ljungberg and Robert Pires in their pomp. Inter equalised Henry's opener before Arsenal took charge, with the pick of the goals being Henry's slaloming second.
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6. Barcelona 4 Manchester United 0, group match, 1994
United may have drawn 2-2 with Barcelona at Old Trafford but Johan Cruyff's 'dream team', still smarting from their 4-0 drubbing in the previous season's final by AC Milan, had a point to prove – and did so in bravura fashion. With Hristo Stoitchkov and Romario leading the line, Barca tore apart Ferguson's callow side to teach them a valuable lesson in European football.
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5. Manchester United 7 Roma 1 (Agg 8-3), quarter-final, 2007
United looked to have made trouble for themselves with a careless 2-1 defeat in the away leg but a blistering display of high-tempo attacking football swept the Italians aside as if they were a pub team. Two goals from Michael Carrick, two more from Cristiano Ronaldo with Alan Smith, Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra adding the others, decorated a staggering performance that Roma couldn't live with.
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4. Newcastle United 3 Barcelona 2, group game, 1997
A 22-minute hat-trick from Tino Asprilla, deputising for Alan Shearer, who had a broken leg, rewarded Newcastle's blitzkrieg approach to taking on the might of Barcelona. It would have been a kamikaze mission in the end, however, were it not for the inspirational Shay Given who conceded two but pulled off a string of exceptional saves as the exhausted home team clung desperately to their lead. Classic Kevin Keegan 'we'll score one more than you' stuff.
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3. Manchester United 2 Bayern Munich 1, final, 1999
The night when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham wrote their names in United history. Bayern dominated the game after Mario Basler's sixth-minute opener had handed the Germans the lead after six minutes and Carsten Jancker rattled the crossbar with minutes left to play. Then, with Peter Schmeichel up for a corner with stoppage time about to start Sheringham diverted Ryan Giggs' shot in before Solskjaer broke Bayern hearts moments later.
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2. Juventus 2 Manchester United 3, semi-final, 1999
After a 1-1 draw in the home leg United made the worst possible start in Turin, losing two goals inside 11 minutes before Roy Keane and Dwight Yorke hauled them back and Andy Cole made sure late on. Notable not only for the comeback but Keane, booked early on and so destined to miss the final, putting aside personal disappointment to drive the team on in one of the classic individual performances in the Champions League.
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1. Liverpool 3 AC Milan 3, final, 2005
What Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti described as 'six crazy minutes' were six minutes of pure drama produced by a Liverpool side dead and buried when 3-0 down at the break. Steven Gerrard headed Liverpool back in to the game before Vladimir Smicer followed up with a shot from the edge of the box, then Xabi Alonso converted the rebound from his own saved penalty, won by Gerrard, to level the scores. Liverpool were second best for most of the 120 minutes but spirit and guts carried them to a penalty shoot-out in which Jerzy Dudek starred to hand Liverpool the trophy.